Mike De Decker joins Fallon Sherrock, Luke Littler & Michael van Gerwen on elite list after impressive World Series debut Down Under

Mike De Decker made headlines over the weekend by becoming just the ninth player to reach a World Series of Darts final on debut, after an inspired run at the 2025 Australian Darts Masters in Wollongong. Although he was ultimately beaten 8–4 by Luke Littler in Sunday’s final, the 29-year-old Belgian firmly announced himself on the World Series stage.

It marked another significant milestone in De Decker’s career trajectory, following his breakout victory at last year’s World Grand Prix. And while he fell just short of lifting the title in Australia, his performance across the weekend confirmed he belongs among the sport’s rising elite.

Littler, meanwhile, claimed his first World Series title of the year — and his third overall — thanks to a rock-solid display that included a 99.83 average in the final. After a relatively quiet start to the 2025 Series, the teenager found top form in Wollongong, underlining why he remains one of the biggest threats in the sport.

De Decker’s Elite Company

Despite the defeat, De Decker’s debut campaign could hardly have gone better. He impressed throughout the tournament, showing the same blend of composure and heavy scoring that earned him major silverware last year.

By reaching the final in his very first World Series event, De Decker joins a short list of players to have achieved the feat. The exclusive group includes darts heavyweights such as Raymond van Barneveld, Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Nathan Aspinall, Fallon Sherrock, Dirk van Duijvenbode, and Luke Littler. Among those, Van Gerwen, Aspinall, and Littler went one step further and won the title at the first time of asking.

To be listed alongside such names only reinforces the quality De Decker now brings to the big stage.